Christmas comes but once a year, and if you happen to be a child in an orphanage in the 1930s you might get a visit from Professor Grampy. You know, Professor Grampy? The 1936 short animation about orphans who wake up to find their toys are badly made junk. Professor Grampy sneaks into the orphanage, yes its sort of creepy, he then gets all the essential cooking and cleaning items needed to ensure the orphans survive and repurposes them as toys. For example, he takes a coffee pot, combines it with electricity, and makes a "toy" train for the orphans. Yes, scalding hot water and electricity. He then sings Christmas Comes but Once a Year like an unhinged lunatic whilst dressed like Santa. He basically killed the orphans if you ask me. I don't buy into the it's about compassion, that's just horse manure for the masses.
You probably think where is he going with this... well Christmas Evil, its almost sort of a nod to the crazy old lunatic Professor Grampy who likes to break into orphanages and destroy the necessities of survival for the fleating delight of a dangerous, lethal toy. The movie Saw had less cruel traps! Whilst Christmas Comes but Once a Year is subtle, Christmas Evil is more of a giant clown hammer to the head. Like Professor Grampy it's unhinged, I have to presume drugs, the illegal type, were consumed in order to make this movie. Whatever called forth this greatness should be exalted.
***Potential Mild Spoilers***
Christmas Evil begins, predictably enough at Christmas, way back in the 1940s. A young boy and his older brother sit on the stairs watching "Santa" slide down the chimney, drink the egg nog, and leave the presents under the tree. Then the kids disappear, is it magic? Or just a strange scene transition? I have no idea. Later, one of the brothers sneaks downstairs and catches Mummy doing more than just kissing Santa! Shocking! Years later, Harry (the young boy) is a middle age man in a supervisors role in a factory who just can't get any respect from his co-workers.
Whilst at the work place Christmas party Harry learns of a cynical marketing gimmick, the factory will donate some toys to the local children hospital. There won't be enough toys for all the boys and girls so Harry dresses up as Santa, steals all the toys from the factory, gets into his van "sleigh" and delivers the toys. Cough... Professor Grampy... Cough.
Outside of work Harry is not a well adjusted member of society. In his spare time he likes to spy on young children, yes it's creepy, and he keeps a naughty and nice book. The good boys and girls go in the good book, the naughty ones who happen to be adults well they get something worse than a lump of coal. Santa never murders a child, but he mighr kill their parents. The adults get murdered, indeed Santa takes no nonsense and racks up a respectable if unspectacular kill count for an old fat man.
The children in the movie, however, respect Santa/Harry, one young girl even disarms her father who wants to hurt Harry/Santa. The kids know what's wrong and what's right, but society will try to tell them exactly what is good and bad. I would imagine the choice of midnight mass as the location of the start of Harry's murder spree is not accidental. The Catholic church is an organisation that has caused so much pain and suffering to innocent children through the decades.
I will not spoil anymore of this surreal movie, you really just have to watch it, push any logical thoughts right back, suppress them and just let this movie cascade over you in a shower of bizarre. The ending of this movie made my jaw drop, it was unexpected, nonsensical yet wonderful. Of course you can interpret the ending in a more cynical way, but wouldn't that fly in the face of the surrealistic telling of the tale?
On a technical level the movie is distinctly average, but this movie doesn't need great acting or great cinematography. You don't even get a consistent plot, and it sometimes start to meander but it's faults can be overlooked in the sheer surreal experience that is Christmas Evil.
8 out of 10
Summary: if you like your horror movies a bit on the surreal side and don't need lashings of gore this is the movie for you.